After three infants tested positive for the bacteria, nine other babies were transferred to nearby hospitals, and the NICU shut down Aug. 10.
According to the local NBC affiliate, four sinks in the NICU and two elsewhere in the hospital tested positive for Pseudomonas. Those sinks were removed and treated.
However, state officials found “some deficiencies relate[d] to policies and performance improvement processes in the NICU,” Sherry Perkins, PhD, RN, the hospital’s executive vice president and COO, told NBC4.
Therefore, the hospital will have heightened reporting requirements to state regulators, and it also implemented a more intense water monitoring plan.
Pseudomonas can cause potentially deadly infections in people with weakened immune systems and more mild infections in healthy individuals. It is found naturally in the environment and can spread on the hands of healthcare workers or by equipment that isn’t properly cleaned, among other transfer methods, according to the CDC.
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